In this speech, Tatjana Rebelle discusses how their personal experiences with bigotry have inspired their continued commitment to change and activism, often through art and other creative mediums. Tatjana has spent decades doing the work to highlight the stories often overlooked, creating spaces for change and comfort. Tatjana Rebelle (they/she) is a mother, activist, organizer, writer, performer and promoter. They have lived in Indianapolis most of their life, which is where they learned to use their writing to deal with growing up in the midwest as a non-binary, first generation Afro-German and Queer. They founded VOCAB Indy, a monthly cultural arts event centering QTBIPOC communities in 1997 and stepped away from curating the event in 2020, to pursue writing and traveling. They have been fighting for social justice for communities of color and QTBIPOC rights for several years. They are currently the Resilient Schools Coordinator with Earth Charter Indiana, leading the Indy Thriving Schools program, which is a certification and grants program for schools tackling sustainability and climate change. Their work gives them the chance to follow their idol, Bayard Rustin’s, footsteps in speaking truth to power and taking a stance against global and local oppression. Their goal is to bring art and activism to the people that need to hear it the most, with every action they take. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

July 12, 2021